Married couple in their 70s who grew £46,000 of cannabis sentenced

A married couple in their 70s have been sentenced for growing 25 cannabis plants in their Norfolk home, police have said.

Mark and Marion Ayres, aged 71 and 70 respectively, had a further 5.7kg of dry cannabis at the property in the market town of Attleborough.

The haul carried a street value of more than £46,000 and Norfolk Constabulary discovered it as part of a probe into cannabis supply in the area.

Dried cannabis plants found at the Ayres’ home (Norfolk Constabulary/PA)

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The couple, of the Attleborough hamlet Burgh Common, were both arrested after the search on May 20 last year.

Mr Ayres was jailed for three and a half years while his wife received a nine months’ prison sentence suspended for a year, police said.

Both had pleaded guilty to production of cannabis and Mr Ayres also admitted possession of cannabis with intent to supply, the force added.

Mark Ayres (Norfolk Constabulary/PA)

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After the sentencing at Norfolk Crown Court on Thursday, Sergeant Dan Shelley said: “Drug production and supply can have a hugely damaging impact on our communities and we continue to take action against those responsible.

“We’d encourage anyone who has concerns about drugs in their neighbourhood to report it to police so we can identify and investigate any suspected criminal activity.”